Alone

Context: 7 week solo project
Engine: Unreal Engine 5

Alone is a First Person Survival game inspired by The Forest.
The project allowed me to explore survival mechanics, practice building immersive environments, and experiment with player interaction Systems.

For this project, I focused on expanding my technical expertise in Game Design. I aimed to master the use of Data Assets for efficient game data management, and to design and implement multiple interconnected game systems. I also developed complex UI to enhance the player experience.

System

Survival

The survival system manages key player parameters: health, hunger and stamina.

I designed the system to encourage smart resource management and strategic planning.
Beyond survival, it creates a stronger sense of immersion, requiring players to balance exploration, resource gathering, and the management of their vital needs.

Reinforcing the Game Pillars.

Items

Items form the backbone of the Gameplay. Using Data Assets, they were designed as modular and easily expandable entities, organized into several categories: resources, materials, weapons, and consumables.

Items are essential for the player. Without them, progression would be impossible, since every other mechanic (crafting, building, cooking, survival) depends on the items collected.

By using Data Assets, I created a clear and flexible structure that makes it easy to add or adjust content without disrupting the rest of the system.

Gathering

Resource gathering can be done through different methods:

picking up items from the ground,
chopping down trees,
mining stones,
hunting animals.

The design was made to provide multiple ways of gathering resources at different phases of Gameplay, supplying the raw materials needed for all other systems.

With this foundation, the game’s Micro Game Loop is clear and rewarding :

This cycle reinforces the world’s consistency and the sense of impact of the player’s actions.

Inventory And Toolbar

The inventory completes this system by allowing the player to store, manage, and use their items. It was designed to be intuitive, with clear categories and a toolbar highlighting essential items for quick access.

This simplifies management, improves Gameplay Flow, and supports immersion by giving the player a constant sense of control.

Building

I implemented the building system to let players construct various structures and buildings, adding depth and creativity to the Gameplay.

This system allows players to shape their world and provides multiple Gameplay possibilities.

Using Line Trace, the building mesh detects collisions with the ground and nearby objects, ensuring structures cannot be placed on top of existing ones

Crafting

The crafting system allows the player to combine resources to create new items (weapons, tools, consumables, etc.).

It allows the player to create whatever they need, as long as they have enough resources.

Cooking

The cooking system allows players to combine multiple ingredients to create various dishes. These dishes can be stored for later consumption.

It gives a new dimension to resources, which are not only used for crafting or building, but also for optimizing survival.

Dishes can serve both to heal the player or to satisfy their hunger, adding strategic choices to resource management

These systems were designed based on the Game’s Core Pillars. They encourage the player to explore and gather, as every resource has potential value and can be used immediately or later.
They are also designed to give the player a sense of progression and creativity, as they transform what they find into useful items for survival.

Closing Words

This project allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and explore a genre and design concepts I wasn't use to.

I gained valuable experience in creating functional and interconnected systems, structuring data efficiently through Data Assets, and designing intuitive UIs that respond to player needs.

Beyond the technical skills, I also strengthened my ability to think from a player’s perspective, balancing challenge, reward, and immersion.

Overall, this project helped me grow as a Game Designer, giving me confidence in my capacity to develop systems that are both engaging and meaningful within a game world.

Thank you for taking the time to read!